In 2000, many of us were focused on the Y2K computer problem. Maybe you remember it? Tales of apocalyptic scenarios spread like a wildfire through media outlets. I had another a more immediate problem with the loss of sensation on my left side and some routine tripping. At just 34 years old, I was left with a cold reality of MS, a business that had grown from a borrowed folding card table to employing over 150 people worldwide, and a circle of friends that mostly all worked for me. The doctor offered a drug therapy called Copaxone which is a daily injectable. I started on the therapy and after a year, I faced depression and weight gain, and all the quality of life issues that go along with those issues. I made a decision to change everything but that is another story. The big change for me was taking a moment to talk to people about stress management and the effects stress has on the body. My assumption was stress comes from things like traffic jams, work, and bad bosses. I never considered environmental stressors like pollution, lack of sleep, or poor nutrition as possible contributors to my diagnoses. I also wondered why the doctor simply tossed a medication at the diagnoses and told me that symptom management could be handled by a variety of specialists. 
I have now had MS for at least 16 years. I have gone on and off of drug therapies and cannot honestly tell you any of them helped. Now, to be fair to my current neurologist, her approach is the best I have ever seen or heard of. But the focus on drug therapies is still the direction of many medical professionals. I need a balance between symptom management and my daily routine. When I looked at what MS really was, I was faced with more questions than answers. Some facts stood out at me. 1) MS cannot be cured according to doctors. 2) The cause of MS is unknown. 3) MS is my own immune system attacking the protective sheath that covers the nerve fibers.
If my own immune system can attack me, there must be a reason why? Keeping with that line of thinking, perhaps my body could also heal itself or at least stop attacking itself. So give the body what it needs to rebuild tissue damage and eliminate as many of the triggers as possible. That is what I did and what I continue to do. That is the reason for taking such an interest in my own nutrition and quality of life. I just turned 50 and while I have not mastered the art of stress management, I am still well on my way. If you have MS, you have nothing to lose by taking the time to give your body what it needs to heal itself.
I just turned 50 and while I have not mastered the art of stress management, I am still well on my way. If you have MS, you have nothing to lose by taking the time to give your body what it needs to heal itself.